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Shredder
The Type-25 Munitions Launcher, also known as the Shredder, is a Covenant Anti-Infantry Weapon. It is used by Brute Followers, Brute Leaders and Spec-Ops Jackals. Overview & Background The Shredder is the predecessor to the Needler and one of the few ammunition-based weapons used by the Covenant Empire. Despite having noticeable visual and colouration differences to the Needler, the Shredder operates, fires and affects targets in an almost identical manner; When fired, the crystals are fed into the weapon and expelled as piercing shards through the muzzle and towards the target, where they will embed themselves within the target's flesh before detonating and causing extreme internal damage. If seven of these needles embed themselves within a target before detonating, a supercombine explosion will occur that will kill the target instantly. Where the Shredder differs from the Needler is through the ammunition used by the weapon. The orange-red crystalline ammunition fired by the Shredder appears to be a raw, unrefined version of the Needler's purple-coloured ammunition, lacking the more unique properties while retaining their deadliness; hen fired, these needles fly in a straight trajectory at a greater velocity, allowing the projectiles to injure targets on impact and detonate after a few seconds, essentially striking the target twice in one shot. However, they cannot home in on targets and lack the ability to effectively bypass personal energy shielding, shattering or ricocheting on impact like most ballistic ammunition. Once easier methods for mining purple crystals were accomplished, the Needler was created and eventually phased out the Shredder as standard issue to regular troops. It has been relegated it to the Brutes (who are not seen fit by the Elites to be issued the latest in weaponry), who enjoy using it due to sharing many similarities to that of their traditional Brute Spiker. In response to the Flood outbreak of Installation 04, the Shredder was also issued to Spec-Ops Jackals, as its high damage output against non-shielded targets makes it a highly effective weapon against the unprotected Flood forms. Gameplay Information Advantages * The Shredder is very effective in eliminating unshielded targets. * Each needle fired from the Shredder deals damage both on impact with the target, and when the needle detonates. ** The target will also become momentarily stunned if they take damage from a Shredder needle which, combined with the weapon's relatively high rate of fire, allows the weapon to repeatedly stun its targets until they're eventually killed. * The Shredder's needles travel much faster than those fired by the Needler. * Like the Needler, the needles protruding from the top of the Shredder give it a more powerful melee attack. * When 7 of the Shredder's needles become embedded into a target, a supercombine explosion will occur that proves fatal to all targets, including Hunters. Disadvantages * The Shredder deals extremely low damage to full-body energy shielding and will bounce harmlessly off of other forms of energy shielding. ** Shredder needles cannot embed themselves within targets equipped with full-body energy shielding, effectively halving the weapon's damage output and preventing it from forcing a supercombine detonation upon the target. * The Shredder is useless against targets that possess some form of heavy armour, such as Hunters (excluding their weak points), Brute Chieftains and vehicles. * The Shredder has a slower rate of fire than the Needler. * Unlike the Needler, the Shredder's needles cannot track targets. * Despite how the needles of the Shredder travel faster and in a straight trajectory, it has a slight spread which makes it ineffective at longer ranges. Developer Information The Shredder was added to replace the Brute Spiker as it would have more unique properties with its supercombine detonations, as well as being able to do damage on impact and detonation of individual needles. This gives it the ability to stun targets twice as long as other projectile based weapons, as enemies will flinch on both the impact and detonation. In addition, the fact it is not just a brute weapon lets it appear in the hands of more Covenant foes than the traditional Spiker would. As a result, in your own maps you should be using these primarily as part of a Brute pack, with at least one Brute wielding any plasma weaponry to accompany a Shredder-wielding Brute. In Flood encounters, there are a variety of Savage and Spec-ops Covenant variants that wield the shredder as it is one of the Covenant's most effective anti-Flood weapons. Trivia * The weapon originally appeared in The Silent Cartographer: Evolved (a sister project by CMT), but functioned differently in terms of gameplay: the weapon was a Covenant shotgun/Brute Mauler type weapon that had an 8 needle magazine and fired 3 Needles per round. ** The weapon's model and animation were modified to be used as a replacement to the Brute Spiker, given its ability to be used by more species and it's unique properties. ** The shotgun type version of it was never intended to be used in SPV3, as the Brute Plasma Pistol existed as a shotgun with anti-shield properties and a secondary fire. Gallery Shredder profile.png|The viewmodel of the Shredder. Shredder firing.png|The Shredder being fired. Shredder ricochet.png|The Shredder's needles ricocheting off multiple surfaces. Shredder supercombine.png|The Shredder's supercombine explosion. Shredder reload.png|The Shredder being reloaded. Shredder brutes.png|Two Brutes using Shredders. Category:Covenant Infantry Weapons